I have made the book a peace offering. I snuck out while it was sleeping, found my way back to … More
Category: Poetry
Lost for words
It is my turn to go out for a walk. The book has slept late, and, not for the first … More
Ordering drinks in Spanish
We are at the flat. Everything has worked out fine: the journey, our connections and now amazing sense of space. We … More
Packing to leave
‘Passport?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Flight info?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Euros?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Underpants?’ The book glares at me. ‘What do you take me for?’ ‘It … More
In the waiting room
The book has had a fall, and now we are sitting in a waiting room, waiting to be seen. This … More
Leaving the house
We have left the house. At first our walking is clumsy, comical, even. The book is three yards ahead of … More
On Discovering My Voice
I am at a thing. Canals are there. Sunlight on them, the last tourists, a shifting of the seasons. ‘Soon … More
A new poem: Sunlight
I am delighted to have a new poem, ‘Sunlight’, for my dear friend Peter Carpenter, published at The Stare’s Nest. … More
Lifesaving Poems: Craig Raine’s ‘Heaven on Earth’
Heaven on Earth Now that it is night, you fetch the wash from outer space, from the frozen … More
Why do it?
because of the words and because of the books because of the woman in the anorak at the swimming baths … More
Ghost chemo
It’s hard to describe. One day your are fine, not quite the same (age will do this to you), then … More
A new poem: Some More Strategies for the End of the World
I am delighted to have a new poem, Some More Strategies for the End of the World, published today at … More
Going for coffee
The book and I are passing each other messages through a third party. Neither of us bothers with the niceties … More
Just another Wednesday
Days Each one is a gift, no doubt, mysteriously placed in your waking hand or set upon your forehead moments … More
Lifesaving Poems: Boris Pasternak’s ‘Hamlet’
Hamlet The buzz subsides. I have come on stage. Leaning in an open door I try to detect from … More
Visiting hours
I am visiting the book. We have already been through a lot together, including the part where I killed it and … More
Lifesaving Poems: Denise Levertov’s ‘The Secret’
The Secret Two girls discover the secret of life in a sudden line of poetry. I who don’t know the … More
On writing and illness
Reading Arthur W. Frank’s astonishing At the Will of the Body recently has given me pause to reflect on the relationship … More